Stories from 30 July 2010
Russia: The First Case of YouTube Ban
Alexey Sidorenko writes about the Russian authorities' first attempt to ban YouTube.
Haiti: Displaced Women and Girls Victims of Gender Violence
In the aftermath of the devastating Haiti earthquake, women and girls are still facing gender violence, as some of them not only experience rape, but then have to face an absent judicial system and less than adequate medical care.
Latvia: Concerns Over the Future of the Largest Daily, Free Press
With the ownership of the largest daily newspaper, Diena, in question, many journalists in Latvia fear business interests and political influence would rule the news coverage ahead of the October parliamentary elections.
Madagascar: Pillaging of Rain Forests Was Supervised by National Special Forces
The Malagasy field researcher who contributed to the report on rosewood illegal logging in Madagascar entitled “Between Democracy and Conservation” explains the method they used in conducting their18-months-long secret investigation [fr]. He states that the investigation was conducted away from the government task force and that he is glad that...
Pakistan: Wikileaks Documents And Corrective Actions
Raza Rumi at Pak Tea House analyzes the disclosure of Wikileaks documents on Afghan war and opines that the civil-military leadership of Pakistan should take corrective actions against the extremists within Pakistan.
Pakistan: Floods Cause Death And Misery
Hundreds have died and more than a million people in Pakistan have been affected by floods caused by monsoon rains in the last three days. Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan has details.
Trinidad & Tobago: TTFF 2010
Repeating Islands has the lowdown on this year's Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival.
Trinidad & Tobago: Up Paramin Way
“This village is stunning – the scenery, the variety of panoramic views, and even the crops on the steep hillside are mesmerising”: MEP Caribbean Publishers visits the village of Paramin, “one of the few communities where some of the older residents still speak French patois.”
Cuba: Economic Effects
“The unemployment phenomenon, which is vehemently denied by high officials in the government, is nothing new”: Iváns File Cabinet uses the example of Cuba's only telecommunications company to illustrate its effects.
Jamaica: The Politics of SoE
Girl With a Purpose says that “the Limited State of Emergency in Jamaica…has now become a political football.”
Jamaica: Fastest Man Alive
“All is in place for a showdown featuring the three fastest men over 100 metres”: YardFlex.com is looking forward seeing the performance of Jamaican athletes in an upcoming meet in Sweden.
Peru: Songs to Celebrate the Independence
On July 28 and 29 Peruvians celebrated their independence festivities. Juan Arellano from Globalizado published a post [es] with a song that seems to summarize what being Peruvian is all about. He later published another post [es] with more songs. Both posts represent a summary of some of the musical...
Chile: Mapuche on Hunger Strike over Anti-terror Law
On July 12, 2010, fourteen Mapuche indigenous detainees began a hunger strike to denounce the Chilean State’s treatment of Mapuche communities in southern Chile. The strike is aimed mainly at ending the use of Chile’s Anti-terrorism Law against Mapuche prisoners, a Pinochet-era decree widely used during the seventeen years of the Pinochet dictatorship.
Global Threat of Wheat Killer Rises
The risk posed by a fungus that is deadly to the world's second largest crop, wheat, continues to rise. The killer fungus, called Ug99, causes stem rust disease, which can destroy entire wheat fields.
Ghana: New Ghanaian movie
MightAfrican writes about a new movie from Ghana, Sinking Sands: “Recently, Leila sent me the trailer for the movie. “Sinking Sands” is about a couple, Jimah (Jimmy Jean-Louis from Haiti) and Pabi (Ama K. Abebrese from Ghana) in a loving marriage which turns into one of violence and abuse when...
Kenya: Mobile Payment Revolution
Erik looks at mobile payment services in Kenya: “Kenya is quickly gaining a competitive advantage in the mobile payments space. Led by mobile operator giant Safaricom with their Mpesa product, the market locally sees huge value in mobile money transactions.”
Bulgaria: Government's Pressure on the Media
Veni Markovski writes about the Bulgarian government's most recent attack on the independent media: “This latest pressure on the free media comes after a number of worrisome cases, involving journalists in the last years. […] Every government in the last 20 years has come to power at the promise of...
Brazil: Copyright Reform Proposal Under Consultation
A public consultation on the Brazilian Copyright Act has received over 1,200 contributions. The proposed changes have fuelled intense debate in the blogosphere and twittosphera.
Japan: Art on an island
Nazra Zahri blogged – with gorgeous photos and a video – about her trip to Teshima, one of the seven islands that's celebrating Setouchi International Art Festival.
Is Religion Good for China?
Kai Pan looks into the blooming of Christianity in China in recent years and addresses the question on whether religion is good for China.
China: First hand account of two Chinese artists arrested and beaten
Under the Jacaranda Tree posts a first hand account written by Diane Gatterdam on the arrest of two Chinese artists, Yang Licai and Wu Yuren.
